kramttocs

I always go with the small flathead screwdrivers also to help them get over the hump. Unless a sun bleached part I usually have pretty good luck with that approach and rocking them back and forth. Now for a lot of the engine and taillight type connectors that say 'pull apart', once I got over my fear and realized that they really can handle the grab and pull with all your might approach I haven't lost one of those tabs since. Just make sure your knuckles and elbows have plenty of flying room...

Hey Gary! I am looking forward to seeing Big Blue again in person next year and all the changes that have and will be done. Ah of course - Chanute has the manual linkage in that oval hole so I should have known that. On the exhaust I really deferred a lot to the shop. Like everything really. If I had to do it over again, I might do some more research but I also have a bad habit of over analyzing stuff that should be left to someone that does it daily and I just didn't have the time or energy that week for that rabbit hole. So in this case I found the shop in the nearby city that had the best reviews, was very pleasant/knowledgeable to speak to on the phone and did stainless. So I am trying real hard to not do research after the purchase To answer your question they are type s borlas. I believe that is their universal offering. Still has the lifetime warranty though. They do offer a custom muffler that would be worth looking into if one was really looking for a specific sound. I pretty much just told the shop I wanted something stainless for longevity and for it to not be too loud but with a nice rumble. They put together a few options and I chose the one I liked. I'll definitely get some photos. I thought I took some while it was on their lift but guess not.

Ray - You can subscribe to get emails by clicking Options/Subscribe via email. And in that there are these two options: Receive every message posted in Bullnose Enthusiasts. Receive new topics only. Haven't reported back in on my progress in awhile so will do a couple week recap. Got the truck back from the paint shop and started the fun part: putting her back together. Trailered the truck to the exhaust shop and had dual stainless borla exhaust put on. They need to order the tips so will have to take the truck back when I get it running so they can install those. With the transfer case, long tube headers, dual tanks, and skid plates I knew it was going to be a trick to install but they did it and looks really good. After that I started in on the sound/heat proofing. So far I've got the firewall done and most of the floor, back wall, and roof done. Taking a lot more time than I expected but work has also been crazy the past couple of weeks so haven't been able to dedicate long periods to it. Really interested to see if this makes an impact although since I didn't drive the truck very long before I stripped it combined with a rebuilt motor, headers, and dual exhaust I can't really do a before-after comparison. I then installed the factory firewall padding and main wiring harness. With the firewall ready I installed my new hvac gasket set and installed the engine and cab hvac parts. The gaskets from James really are top notch. I decided to forego all of the screw/captive nuts that sandwich the two sides together and replaced them with stainless bolts. Looks good with the obvious downside of more hands involved in install/uninstall but I don't plan on removing these for at least a few decades. Here is a photo of the hood hinge with the mylar washer on both sides of the hinge. Would definitely recommend this easy improvement if you have the hinge off. The paint shop is going to add some pin stripes and body color to the steering column (tumbler and shift collar) so as per another thread I've disassembled the steering column am going to drop that off sometime this week. Had to make a trip to the jy today to pull another column (grabbed two for good measure) since I wanted to powder coat the inner shift sleeve and attempting to remove some plastic pieces that apparently aren't meant to be removed didn't work out well...probably more mentally than any functionality issue but would rather not have to take the column apart later. Next step is waiting for a warm day and installing the dash. That will really feel like progress. Question for anyone reading this - do you have a preferred location to passing non-factory wiring through the firewall? The fog lights had the wire coming through that oval grommet to the right of the gas pedal (what is that grommet for anyways?) which worked since the switch was located nearby. Since my amp/sub wiring will be coming from the back up into the drivers side kick panel I'd like to keep it close to that area. There is a fairly large firewall grommet in that area that just has a single wire going through it that seems like the best option right now but open to ideas.

Ordered these and the tool set. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075NBCDPQ?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07LD9DCWH?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image&th=1&psc=1 A PO saved some time using a vampire connector and I am having to spend time repairing the factory wire after it came apart (when removing the vampire) so I guess the universe is happy and balanced 😀

At the jy right now pulling an auto/tilt column to get the shift tube (played around a little too hard with those white plastic pieces ). I'll grab a couple of the lower bearing retainers and can ship you one if needed.

Only if you are doing seal boots and not standard wedgelocks. The IWS-30J with the A03B die set is what you can use for standard wedge locks in the link you provided. If you look at my project thread I use them there. Or they have a dedicated tool as well, 1424A The 1424 B is for wedge locks that also have all weather sealing boots. Thanks! Will be ordering the IWS-30J shortly.

Also curious on the battery cable crimping tool. Along those lines, do you recall what adhesive shrink tubing you used for the battery cable? There are a lot of options out there (would like red/black vs all red) so always prefer to order a set that is known to work well.

Great timing on this thread! So you used IWS-1424B (the $19.99 ones) on the wedgelocks referenced here: http://www.garysgaragemahal.com/wiring-connectors.html ?

Nevermind. Looks like they are some kind of retaining setup.

Yes, peeled it completely off. If I recall correctly, mine was already at least 50% loose, and I just peeled off the last of it, but it did come off complete. I scraped all of the old paint and crap off the back of it, and when I had the plate all painted again, I put the rubber back on. I can't remember exactly how I adhered it back to the plate...maybe with some 3M spray adhesive, but I do remember using some black RTV around the center part. Clamp it together with some clothespins or something similar and let it sit. I have some finished pics, but no pics in progress unfortunately other than when it was sand blasted. Anyone know the purpose of these white plastic things on the shift shaft? First thought was as a slide against the outer sleeve but the inner shaft should be suspended away from it. Second was that they kept the two piece shaft together but seems like an odd material for that .

Yep, me too. And while I know you remember it, Scott, there's the forced-parallel switch that allows you to temporarily parallel the batteries if you have the need. And thanks again for recommending this specific isolator Gary - really fits the bill. Mine should be arriving any day now. Since it's related to the topic, I picked up a set of RFDB1 (Rockford Fosgate) battery terminals to try and make the battery hookup easier/cleaner. I really like my current Monster Cable ones that have a bolt to attach the cable end terminal so they will get moved to Chanute. On the RF's the battery cable slides in and a set screw tightens it down so will have to see how well that works but the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. They were delivered today and are definitely solid.

This is closer to it. The isolator I am using is a 'smart' one that only connects the batteries when the main battery is above 13.2v and disconnects them when it drops below 12.7v. Again, not saying it's an ideal system for everyone and every situation though. It just satisfies what I want regarding unmodified factory wiring, easy/clean reverting back to stock, and easy elimination of non-core functions if needed.

My current plan is to replace it with a button head bolt and nylock nut. I don't believe the nylock nut will be too tall but if so, then blue loctite and a regular nut

I'd buy two. Right now. So that didn't turn out near as bad as I thought. Three Allen screws up from the bottom of the shift column removed the tilt assembly and shaft from the sleeve. Then drilling out the rivet separated the shift collar, shift sleeve, and main tube. To remove the firewall plate gasket it took a lot of slow peeling and a razor blade to avoid tearing it.

Haha it crossed my mind. This one would be a little more involved since it's formed - think the demand would be there?

Did you peel the rubber seal from the bottom firewall plate? I played around with one of the spares in my shop and it looked like it would tear but I didn't use any heat.

Thanks guys! Looked that page up on my phone earlier but didn't scroll over far enough. Will read over it and my hardcopy again after my son's soccer game.

Thanks Gary. I am actually perusing it now. If I tackle it tonight. I'll take photos and add it to this thread.

Thanks Ray. Mine is fully functional, just wanting to get it painted/coated :) I figure the tilt mechanism will need removed and the outer shift sleeve released to slide out the bottom but a little daunting to tear into the tilt part without knowing the right order.

Anyone have a guide on the full disassembly of a tilt auto column? Really just wanting to get the bottom gasket (firewall attachment) off but it can't be removed with the shift arm at the bottom still there. Have the top down to the tilt/shift collar - so the tumbler collar and turn cam is all removed.

Just to clarify - I said amp and sub I am keeping the headunit factory wired. That's why I asked the (I would consider odd) question about the yellow wire - I am wanting to keep as much factory as possible so it's easy to eliminate my add ons if needed for whatever unknown reason and the core components will still function. Not saying it's a perfect system but it should do what I want. Anyways, carry on. While it has digressed from just cable sizes, it's an interesting read/discussion.

You are correct - if the truck is running. Gary has the use case(s) correct. It's when the truck isn't running that the isolator allows you to use the aux without worry. Because they will be joined shortly after the truck starts and ideally stay that way until the truck is killed, they will be a matched set to avoid the issue you mentioned.

Yes, it still had the same texture but was thicker and had a more prominent plateau. Not a great photo of it but you can see the black isn't as flat as the later years.

This is something I do not understand, this isn't the first time I have seen this. If your batter is set up where the main and spare battery share a positive and negative connection that battery is wired directly in parallel and at that point it makes no difference where you tap to power what. It's the isolator that makes the difference in the diagrams and the reasoning. It allows the aux battery to be used without draining the main.